Concept of Fun

I was at a meeting the other night at church. Our job was to select themes for music, hymns and other items that go with the liturgical year and Bible readings. I know; sounds dull as dishwater, doesn’t it?  But that’s just the surface.

As we laughed over bad puns made over themes and Biblical texts, we then championed selection of hymns. We have decided solidly never to expose the congregation to a hymn that is too long, or too short, or totally unfamiliar to them, or tricky musical passages that require youth and stamina to sing. Yes, we have often turned to one another during a church service and said – “how did we let this hymn get past us?”

So, again, doing this task might seem arduous and not much fun. But you don’t know our group! We sit there and sight read hymns; this is not easy without a pitch pipe and acapella. And some of us don’t read music let alone get the whole tempo thing. So it is often the blind leading the blind and that leads to silliness.

It’s the silliness that got us the other night. Men and women laughing and giggling over hymn selections and god awful puns!  Well, I guess you had to be there!

But it was fun for us. And that alone leads me to ask: “What is fun to each of us?”

I suppose it is whatever fancies our funny bones. What is humorous or a delight to do. It doesn’t have to be humorous. It just has to be pleasant and capable of building a fond memory. Ahh. Perhaps that’s it – capable of building a fond memory.

Some people think it is fun to ride a roller coaster. I do remember doing that many years ago and looking forward to doing it again and again. Today, however, that activity does not pass my ‘fun meter’. No; I’d lose my lunch if I rode a coaster these days. It’s an age thing, and probably much more.

Same goes for watching sports programs. Lordy, for me watching sports is like watching paint dry. Not one iota of interest. Oh I hope teams from my city or region win, no matter the sport played. But the sport itself? I can’t imagine it being fun; all that pushing and shoving and landing in the mud and…exertion! Whew! The effort expended for what purpose? It never did attract my attention.

Now, a concert of classical music is a good thing to me. That’s fun to attend as well as pleasant and mentally stimulating. Now for me that’s fun.

Watching my grandchildren grow up is also fun. And my own kids, too, but then they are now adults having kids and they are not quite as watchable as they once were. No, their kids are the object of watching these days.

With Father’s Day nigh there will be grand kid watching aplenty. That’s a good thing. And fun.

What else is fun? Watching people dance. Especially if they are expressing themselves honestly and effusively. Such spirit and movement. And pliability. Gad, I haven’t moved like that for decades. And won’t. Dance is not for my doing; only for my watching; and glad that others can and will do it!

Writing a good paragraph is fun to me; I know it is like watching paint dry for others, but then that’s the point of this essay today. What is fun for one is not fun for another. The differences of this alone spell many differences in life that both define us, separate us and bond us together.

Freedom to be oneself and have fun is one of the good things about being American. It’s in the Declaration of Independence. Something about the pursuit of happiness? Now that’s fun.

I know where to find mine; you do too. So go do it this weekend!

June 16, 2017